Women rule the professional Ukrainian tennis world these days with a whopping 40 ladies listed in the current WTA rankings list. The men’s side totals four noted Ukrainians with Alexandr Dolgopolov holding strong (No. 37) and Sergiy Stakhovsky free-falling down the rankings to No. 85. Ilya Marchenko of Ukraine (No. 84) and Ukrainian American Denis Kudla (No. 100) make it a total of four. Elina Svitolina (No. 20) continues to open eyes, while the duo of Lesia Tsurenko (No. 42) and Kateryna Bondarenko (No. 56) is trending upward with their recent tournament play. Kateryna Kozlova (No. 96) rounds out Ukrainians in the top 100.
Tsurenko on the comeback trail
Lesia Tsurenko’s love affair with tennis got heated in late July 2015. The Ukrainian, who declared a couple of years ago she was in a time-consuming relationship with the sport, defeated Urszula Radwanska 7-5, 6-1 in the final of the Istanbul Cup to claim the first WTA Tour title of her career.
Tsurenko, 26, has made few headlines in her eight years on the pro circuit despite many hints of greater potential. She twice made the last four at tournaments she began as a qualifier, in Brisbane (2013) and at the Tashkent Open (2014).
Tsurenko’s problem has tended to be a flighty temperament which roams the scale between nervous wreck and downright fearless. Radwanska, herself vying for a first WTA title, had the misfortune of running into Tsurenko on one of her more resolute days. The match effectively hinged on a tight first set in which the Pole, younger sister of world No. 7 Agnieszka Radwanska, had three set points on the Tsurenko serve at 5-4.
Tsurenko’s Wimbledon 2016 began with an auspicious three-set victory over Daria Gavrilova, the Russian sixth seed. Climbing back from the deficit, the Ukrainian lost only one more game, completing a most convincing win in an hour and 32 minutes.
An imposing tough draw was overcome by the belief one can win any tournament with a self-confident attitude and a strong game.
Lucky loser reaches semifinals
Lesia Tsurenko’s life changed in a matter of hours on August 23, 2015. She lost her Connecticut Open qualifying round match to Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in straight sets, unable to manage the humid weather conditions. While contemplating whether to travel to New York for the U.S. Open she received a telephone call.
Top seed Simona Halep of Romania withdrew from the tournament, opening a slot for the highest seed in qualifying not advancing to the main draw. Tsurenko could enter the tourney as the “lucky loser.”
Handed a free pass in the event, Tsurenko decided to make the most of her opportunity. Again battling humid conditions, she made quick work of Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-0, in a match that ended in 1-10. She then went on to defeat Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, easily breezing to a 6-2, 6-2 win. Just like that, the player who thought her week was over was preparing for semifinal action.
Ranked No. 46 in the world prior to the Connecticut Open, Tsurenko made her mark in 2015. In addition to registering her first WTA title in July, she reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, in March. Early August saw her get to the quarterfinals in Toronto before losing to Sara Errani of Italy. She’s healthier and getting in more practice because she is forced to qualify for tournaments.
Tsurenko defeated four top-10 players in 2015: Garbine Muguruza of Spain (No. 9) in Toronto, Andrea Petkovic of Germany (No. 10) and Genie Bouchard of Canada (No. 7) in Indian Wells and Pliskova in New Haven, Conn. She is a late bloomer, after putting competitive tennis aside as a teenager and re-committing to the sport following her move to Kyiv at age 17. She ended 2015 a confident player.
Although Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic bested Tsurenko in the semifinals 6-2, 7-6(4), Tsurenko’s comeback gained more traction when she attained a career-best No. 33 WTA ranking as of late-November 2015. This year, as of July 18, Lesia Tsurenko was ranked No. 42 on the WTA Tour.
Dolgopolov a crazy good player
One of the most charismatic tennis players on the men’s circuit these days is Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov. His style of play is rather undefined, because he plays with a very carefree attitude. An opponent never knows what to expect during a match, making it all the more exciting to watch him in action.
One of the world’s top players, Rafael Nadal, had this to say about Dolgopolov: “He’s a crazy player, not like a crazy guy, because you can expect everything. He can play really aggressive, he can play very fast, he has a good serve, and the ball is going too fast sometimes. He can beat you, and you will not have something to do with it. He’s a special player. I know he can hit a winner from every place in the court.”
Dolgopolov is one of the most approachable players on the ATP World Tour. He has a strong following with young fans for many reasons: it may be his latest hairstyle (a headband, ponytail or braids), he’s still very much a young man and speaks their “language,” or it may be the rebel in him.
Off the court he loves fast cars and rally driving. In July 2012 he acquired a Nissan GT-R, one of the most powerful street cars produced with its 1,800 horsepower. He enjoys surfboarding and swimming and hits the beaches of Australia at the end of each season when he trains among its sand dunes.
Dolgopolov is very computer savvy with an ability to create Internet games. He is quite active in social media.
On a tennis court, behind the wheel of a rally car, riding a wave or controlling a joystick, there is never a dull moment with Dolgopolov, ranked No. 33 in the world as of late July.
Kudla good on grass
Prior to the 2015 grass season, Denis Kudla (who plays for the U.S.A.) changed coaches, going from four years with the USTA to a personal coach in Billy Heiser. This was an investment in himself, a calculated risk. The move meant paychecks to earn and expense checks to write.
Grass being his favorite surface, Kudla does not sport the physique of a player one would expect to excel on grass. He does not own a rocket serve or the rebound off the ground that one needs on low-bouncing grass. His aggressive baseline game, partnered with his strong counter-punching talents, do translate well on the surface. The fact he stands almost 5-foot-11 means the lower bounce doesn’t bother him. One of the keys on grass is movement – usually the better returner trumps the better server. Kudla moves well and has developed into a solid returner.
Born in Kyiv, Kudla and his family relocated to the United States when he was a year old. A troublemaker as a child, twice running away from home before he was 7, Kudla’s father struggled for a safe way to keep his son occupied. Tennis was selected as the family sport for both Kudla boys (brother Nikita is four years older). Denis turned pro at age 16, but his breakthrough took some time. As of Wimbledon 2016, Kudla was ranked No. 66 on the ATP Tour, but post-Wimbledon saw his ranking drop to No. 100. Kudla lost 6-7 (5), 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, in the first round against Damir Dzhumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina and in men’s doubles, Kudla, paired with Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania, lost 3-6, 2-6 in the first round against Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Scott Lipsky of the U.S.A..
Ihor Stelmach may be reached at [email protected]